New trends in recording.............so less of these today????

[timmerman]

I found inspiration from Bruce's thread about the free lessons for the homerecordist.

To be honest before reading this thread I had not given much thought to the fact that more and more albums these days get recorded in people their own small "homestudios".

Recording, as most of us here will agree with, is all about caputuring the vibe of the moment. So if you are recording in a great inspiring environment you are more likely to get great results...........................

In the past a lot of bands recorded with mobile units, the Who had one, so did the Stones and a lot of others.

Yesterday I listened to "Talk is Cheap" of Keith Richards, and as I was listening I checked out the details and noticed the album was recorded in Air Studios in Montserrat. Okay so what?

Did a search on Air Studios in Montserrat and discovered that George Martin is behind this studio........................................Do I need to say more???

Okay here are some links:

This one is about the history of Air in Montserrat in a nutshell..................
www.georgemartinmusic.com/montserrat.htm

Here is a painting of how the building used to be when it was being used as a studio..................................

www.chilternweb.co.uk/jeffday/airstudio.htm

And here is a little story of a great band that recorded there....................

www.birtles.com/montserrat.html

Now do we believe that stories like this are less likely to happen today since most bands will record themselves with all the results [less inspiring music, qualtiy and.............................I could go on and on..........]

Could you say that Air studios in Montserrat, and a host of others in other locations all around the world, are something of the past as people do not want to spend that much time and money on recording albums.

Of the modern bands out there now, how many of them will still be worth listening to 20 years from now? Do you believe this is linked to the newer trends in recording, choise of studios and..............................

I know there is a lot here, and it all interacts with each other, not really expecting to get answers, more hoping to inspire some of you for a discussion about this subject.

Oh when you do a search on Air Studios Montserrat you will get a lot more bands who recorded there, so if you are interested in that go ahead and enjoy..........................

Eddie

 

[Halion]

I think these studios be used less and less by "normal" folk because there is such a huge difference between the top gear, the the homerec gear. However, if I were really rich, I'd go to one of those studios ofcourse. Just because I could. And seeing as how there are more than enough rich people to do that, I don't think huge studios like that have much to worry about. But I don't expect many new artists to go to studios like that, no, I don't.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

The double-edged sword of the project studio is that anybody and everybody with two grand can make a recording that doesn't sound like absolute crap, burn their own CD-Rs andr distribute their own tracks via the Internet.

On one edge you have the wide-open democracy that allows independant artists to get iPod and Internet radio play and allows them to really break into the scene without having to first be "discovered" by some drunk horny A&R guy and then signed to a Faustian contract with some Mafioso record company.

On the other edge of that sword is the fact that 99% of the artists who can afford it - or who have parents who can afford it - suck. Let's face it, there are about as many people with Sonar and a couple of mics that can be the next Rolling Stones as there are people with Nike Air Jordans and a Spalding basketball who can wind up in the NBA.

Just as it's for that other 1% of basketball players (or less) that Madison Square Garden or the United Center exist as basketball courts, it's for the 1% of independant or contract musicians who can "make it" that the big studios will continue to exist.

G.

 

[Halion]

I totally agree. Crap is alot easier to find since the whole homerec thing started growing so big.

It still takes skill and talent to make a good record, and if 99% of the homreccers don't have that, well, I guess that just means that the 1% that does have it doesn't have to go to a super expensive studio, but can just borrow gear from the 99% that sucks

 

[chessrock]

... if 99% of the homreccers don't have that, well, I guess that just means that the 1% that does have it doesn't have to go to a super expensive studio, but can just borrow gear from the 99% that sucks

The whole home studio thing isn't much different from photography or graphic design.

It isn't nearly as much a matter of "do you have the right equipment" as it is "Do you know what you're doing?"

If you want a good recording, you find someone who knows what they're doing and has the equipment to get it done. This isn't some earthshatteringly new and unheard-of concept.

 

[Halion]

I know

But on that subject: do you think that because it has become so much easier to start your own "studio" (if you only to record yourself and your friends), it also enlarges the false image that with good gear, you can get a good production?

 

[Zaphod B]

Reading this thread I am reminiscing on the state of Top 40 radio when I was a kid back in the late '50s, and on from there....(yes, I am an old fart).

There has always been a preponderance of crap popular music being served up for public consumption. We may remember listening to The Beatles, Stones, Doors, or any number of great Motown artists back in that era, but for every decent song there were 10 shitty ones to endure.

That situation remains the same today. The popular music from today that stands the test of time will be rare, and the rest will be recalled, if at all, as filler. In fact, I have heard some people make the argument that today's popular artists feeled compelled to fill up a CD with music just because they can, and so the junk-to-diamonds ratio is even higher than ever before. I think it's a valid argument.

I don't see that the large, established recording studios ever served to function as "bad music removal" filters. They just ensure that shitty music sounds as bearable as possible.

 

[giraffe]

repeat after me.

mankind is in no meaningful way fundementally better of worse than we ever were.

it's called selective memory.

 

[chessrock]

But on that subject: do you think that because it has become so much easier to start your own "studio" (if you only to record yourself and your friends), it also enlarges the false image that with good gear, you can get a good production?

To some, it does. If anything, I think it should do just the opposite.

What should happen is that people buy all this gear, and realize their stuff still doesn't sound as good as a professional recording.

Maybe they conclude that it's because they "don't have good enough gear," but the smarter ones will eventually take the hint that there's more to it than that, and gain an even greater appreciation for talented engineers and what they bring to the table. And they now have a more first-hand appreciation for it, having tried it themselves.

What it has done, though, is flooded the market (with recording engineers) due to lower entry costs. This is not particularly good in the sense that truly talented individuals are competing against so many more people ... swinging the supply and demand factor out of their favor, thus driving their average wage way down. So the truly good engineers are working for less, or going in to other professions altogether.

Ideally, the lower overhead requirement should even that out, but unfortunately it hasn't yet. One thing needs to happen in order for things to balance out: People need to start understanding that recording is not a particularly lucrative field. People need to know, going in, that their chances of landing a comfortable job are not great. The truth needs to get out, and unfortunately, I think it's been a little slow. Once it does, I think you'll see less people flooding the market as Schools like Full Sail close shop and stop contributing to the flooded market. And if the available talent pool ever comes down to a more realistic level, then the good ones will once again be able to command a decent enough wage to get by.

Right now, if I were still in school, I'd be studying for something in the medical field. And anyone else considering audio engineering should, too. Medical field is where the jobs are. You don't have to give up recording on the evenings and weekends, either. And you'll be making so much dough, and you'll have so much job security, you won't have to worry about affording nice equipment or space. You'll be able to pay your bills, get married, pay off your loans, have kids, etc. etc. All the normal stuff that people with real jobs have.

.

 

[Halion]

That might be true, but I life in the Netherlands, and we are doing pretty good on the multi-media front (we are growing as a gaming-country). I know that is not really something for most home recording people to get into but I myself am very interested in multi-media and I know for a fact that there are more than enough jobs for audio minded people that know their share of multi media.

Studio Engineers alone though...I'm not so shure.

 

[chessrock]

... I know for a fact that there are more than enough jobs for audio minded people that know their share of multi media.

Now by "multi-media," do you mean guys who know how to program flash and Java, understand web hosting and programming, etc. etc. ?

Because this is by far a completely different field than audio engineering.

 

[IronFlippy]

Right now, if I were still in school, I'd be studying for something in the medical field. And anyone else considering audio engineering should, too. Medical field is where the jobs are. You don't have to give up recording on the evenings and weekends, either. And you'll be making so much dough, and you'll have so much job security, you won't have to worry about affording nice equipment or space. You'll be able to pay your bills, get married, pay off your loans, have kids, etc. etc. All the normal stuff that people with real jobs have.

Yea, if you go into medicine, then that's where your focus is going to be (or where it should be) meaning less time spent working on recording meaning crappier recordings. If everyone were to do this, we'd have an overabundance of doctors and a shortage of good engineers. I'm going to school for sound recording because it's what I want to do with my life. I don't want to be a doctor (aside from the fact that I'd probably be a terrible one ). Sure I probably won't make as much being an engineer, but I'd much rather make less money doing something I love rather than make good money doing something I hate.

 

[chessrock]

If everyone were to do this, we'd have an overabundance of doctors and a shortage of good engineers.

Not talking about being a doctor. I'm talking nursing, X-ray tech, anaesthesiology, lab tech, etc. etc.

And no, if everyone were to go in to the medical profession, it would solve three problems: 1) Lives would be saved, as there wouldn't be such a shortage of people in the medical profession as the baby boomers age, 2) The audio engineering field might actually be a viable profession filled with people who really belonged there, resulting in better living conditions for those recording music, and better recordings being made. 3) Due to a more even / efficient distribution of labor, our economy would improve.

Sure I probably won't make as much being an engineer, but I'd much rather make less money doing something I love rather than make good money doing something I hate.

Yea, but don't you hate poverty? Don't you hate not being able to pay bills, own a car, go out on dates, etc. etc. ?

I do. Which is why I wish I had been an X-ray tech or something like that.

 

[Halion]

Now by "multi-media," do you mean guys who know how to program flash and Java, understand web hosting and programming, etc. etc. ?

Because this is by far a completely different field than audio engineering.

Not as much as you might think. Multi Media simply means more than one medium. Flash is 1 medium (not even really a medium, more a technology), and so is Java. Audio is a part of my forms of media, be it TV, promotion material for companies, computer games, cell phones etc. There are jobs for audio people there.

 

[7string]

I know

But on that subject: do you think that because it has become so much easier to start your own "studio" (if you only to record yourself and your friends), it also enlarges the false image that with good gear, you can get a good production?

I think that a home studio allows any musician/artist to record their own music. The problem is that there are a lot of musicians/artists who THINK they are good but really aren't. The interaction with a REAL record company would tell them right away that they are crap. But since they bypass that aspect there is no one to tell them they are crap. The groupie chicks will not tell them because they want to hang around the band, feeding the ego and making them think they have something to contribute. Their families won't tell them that they suck because they don't want to hurt their feelings. Only when they spend a lot of money on gear/software/packaging/mastering/pressing, etc. and the CD doesn't sell and they are stuck with 1000 or more copies of their own crap material will they finally come to the realization that they suck.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Just a minute, bucko

Now by "multi-media," do you mean guys who know how to program flash and Java, understand web hosting and programming, etc. etc. ?

Because this is by far a completely different field than audio engineering.

Ah, if I had a dollar for every time somebody tried to bust me down by saying that, I'd be able to retire (or at least afford a decent ribbon mic ) ) Chess, I'm not saying you're trying to bust me down; I'm just saying this is a common mantra hummed to me almost daily. My resopnse is to heartily disagree. My portfolio (an interactive digital CD-ROM-based one I developed myself) identifies me as a "Digital Media Engineer".

While I grew up on the audio side, I also bought my first computer in 1978 (an Altair 8800b, back when computers *looked* like computers ) and develped that skill in parallel. A year after that a friend of mine and I built our first project studio in his basement (centered around an ARP 2600 analog synth and a Pioneer RT1020L 10" open reel recorder.) I was obviously delighted when Sound Forge appeared in the mid 90s and finally I was able to converge my skills in more ways than just using the computer to track my cue sheets and track lists (with homemade software.)

There's a lot of other threads that come in, including being an A/V electronics salesperson, being part of the design team for the first broadcast quality, Avid-style video non-linear editor for the Windows platform, making a decent side-living as a web designer, etc. But to keep a long story from being longer, I came to see that "convergence" was more than just a buzzword; that the digital revolution was bringing "multimedia" to the forefront as an integrated discipline. Audio enginering is just one facet of that integration.

Today I make my living running not an "audio project studio", but a "multimedia project studio." Yes I write just as many Javascript and Perl scripts as I record and mix audio tracks (often for the same clients.) I digitally restore as many photographs with Photoshop as I do audio tapes with Wavelab. I edit as many CDs with Cubase as I do wedding videos with Vegas.

And yes, I usually go to bed exhausted from having to juggle all these technologies in my head. It's certainly not for everybody. And yes, audio engineering is an entirely different from server scripting, and one can easily choose between one and another and not lose any sleep over it.

But I believe the days where there will be a lot of work for someone who cannot cross those disciplines will come to an end sooner than later. Increasingly, folks are needed who can not only mix audio, but who can also send a live mix to a custom network of streaming servers. Or who can not only master an audio CD, but who can also produce a video for the title track and design the cover art and liner notes.

It's just (admittedly) not for the faint-hearted.

G.

 

[chessrock]

Increasingly, folks are needed who can not only mix audio, but who can also send a live mix to a custom network of streaming servers. Or who can not only master an audio CD, but who can also produce a video for the title track and design the cover art and liner notes.

Why stop there?

You could also become versed in the duplication arts, and mass-produce the final medium, be it CD, DVD, or whatever.

Heck, you could even learn the art of cooking, so you could cater the CD release or corporate parties once the media is officially released. You could use all fresh ingredients grown in your garden, along with fresh meats from animals raised on your very own farm.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You could then proceed to write the press releases ... once you get your journalism degree and complete your PR internship, that is. Of course, once you complete your bar exam, you could also represent yourself and handle all of the legal matters relating to copy protection and release of liability.

Get knowlegable enough at all that legal stuff, and you can just figure out how to buy out all of your clients' companies so that you can make sure to hire yourself for everything. You'd never be hurting for work that way.

 

[northsiderap]

Hmmmm

Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen
Increasingly, folks are needed who can not only mix audio, but who can also send a live mix to a custom network of streaming servers. Or who can not only master an audio CD, but who can also produce a video for the title track and design the cover art and liner notes.


I can do all of this stuff. What's wrong with that?

 

[stash98]

well, thereis a time and place to realy get good at your craft andthat is called high school and college..those are the years you have the most free time...i spent all my free time doing musicand getting in studios, and after college i got in a signed band and toured..so i got to get in even more studios and meet really great engineers...and they were very hapy to talk shop because a lot of bands who come through didnt give two shits about what they were doing.

i think getting a real job is a good thng..if you are talented and driven, you will follow that drive and get in the game early..i started w/ a 4 track because i was 16 and poor...i used a soundblaster card and a crap mic..i just learned the gear and never got more then i could handle (because i couldnt afford to)...medical school would be tough because i wouldnt have like 18 hours of down time to mix and have other studiop buddies over to get high and make tunes w/...but now im at the point where i know my stuff better and don't have to devote all day to learning how to mix..etc...

my whole point is get into making music at a young age and you will be free to do what you want w/ it if youhave the talent...while your friends are playing xbox or chasing tail, if you love music stay home and get good at it, and you will have a successful career.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Why stop there?

Heck, you could even learn the art of cooking, so you could cater the CD release or corporate parties once the media is officially released. You could use all fresh ingredients grown in your garden, along with fresh meats from animals raised on your very own farm.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You could then proceed to write the press releases ... once you get your journalism degree and complete your PR internship, that is. Of course, once you complete your bar exam, you could also represent yourself and handle all of the legal matters relating to copy protection and release of liability.

Get knowlegable enough at all that legal stuff, and you can just figure out how to buy out all of your clients' companies so that you can make sure to hire yourself for everything. You'd never be hurting for work that way.

Because that stuff has nothing to do with multimedia engineering.

I understand your point, though, and I don't completly disagree with it. Taking on an umbrella discipline like "multimedia engineering" is a daunting task, and not, at this time, completly necessary...yet.

The thrust of my point was that because of "convergence" (the 90's buzzword) or the "digital entertainment lifestyle" (the up-and-coming euphamism that we'll probably be beat over the head with soon enough), the project studio that wants to stay afloat in the years to come had probably better be ready to expand their disciplines beyond just audio recording and editing if they want to stay competitive. Between the other project studios that do expand and diversify to "multimedia" on one end and the fact that an increasing number of clients will be wanting/expecting to distribute their music and videos independantly via all the new multimedia technologies on the other end (can you say "podcast"? ), those stuck in the 20th century will be squeezed out of the market.

Yes, you can just hire or outsource specialists for the individual sub-disclipines, but both of those options just add to your cost and reduce the bottom line.

I can do all of this stuff. What's wrong with that?.

Nothing, baby! You're ahead of the game

G.